Costa was not fit to start – Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said Diego Costa was not fit enough to start the Champions League clash with Schalke.

Costa recovered from a hamstring problem in time to play against Swansea and scored a hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-2 win.

But he was a substitute for the Group G encounter at Stamford Bridge, where he came on as a substitute as his team looked to regain the lead following Schalke’s equaliser.

“Diego Costa is not in condition to play three matches in a week,” Mourinho explained after the 1-1 draw.

“He has problems when he plays one game and he needs a week to recover and now playing matches Tuesday and Wednesday he can’t do it. He was not in a condition to do more than he did.”

Didier Drogba, making his first start since returning to the Bridge in the summer, missed a great chance shortly before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar levelled on 62 minutes.

“We had more than a couple of fantastic chances to win the game but we got a point. It is not the best result but it is a result,” Mourinho said.

“Didier Drogba is not crying because of that miss. He had a good game and a good contribution.

“He missed the goal by a few inches and that would have been 2-0 but football is like this.”

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook